San Mateo County Health - San Mateo Medical Center is currently seeking a full-time, regular Ambulatory Access/Operations Manager. Under general direction of the Deputy Director of Ambulatory Services, the Ambulatory Access/Operations Manager plays a crucial role in ensuring efficient and effective patient access to medical services within San Mateo Medical Center clinics. This position oversees the day-to-day operations of the call center, Tier 1 Patient Portal Support, virtual clinic including Nurse Triage, Express Care (same-day visit), and ambulatory social work team and collaborates closely with the clinics to develop guidelines for patient access. The Ambulatory Access/Operations Manager is responsible for the overall virtual clinic, optimizing patient flow, enhancing customer service, and driving operational excellence. The successful candidate will possess strong leadership skills, exceptional problem-solving abilities, and a deep understanding of healthcare operations.
The current vacancy is a full-time, regular position.
Some of the Key Priorities include:
Operations Management:
- Plan, direct, monitor, coordinate, and evaluate the virtual clinic or clinics' operations and service delivery programs, including needs assessment, program design and planning, implementation, evaluation, and regulatory enforcement.
- Assess the quality of patient care; develop and generate community support for changes or enhancements to service delivery methods; advocate for patients with medical staff to ensure appropriate and timely care is provided. Based on the voice of the customer and with collaboration with Patient Experience.
- Oversee the operations of the call center and nursing triage team, ensuring high-quality patient interactions, timely response, and accurate documentation.
- Implement and enforce operational policies, procedures, and best practices to enhance patient access and optimize resource allocation.
- Monitor key performance indicators (KPIs), identify trends, and develop strategies to improve operational efficiency and patient satisfaction.
- Lead Improvement Projects and collaborate with cross-functional departments.
Staff Supervision and Development:
- Provide leadership, guidance, and support to the call center, nursing triage team, virtual clinic, ambulatory social work team, and patient portal support team fostering a positive work environment and promoting professional growth.
- Conduct regular performance evaluations, identify training needs, and facilitate appropriate training programs to ensure staff competence and productivity.
- Establish performance goals and objectives, monitor performance against established metrics, and take corrective actions as needed to align with strategic goals and initiatives.
Collaboration with Clinics:
- Collaborate closely with all clinic managers and staff to develop guidelines, protocols, and workflows to streamline patient access and enhance care coordination.
- Facilitate regular meetings and communication channels with clinic stakeholders to identify operational challenges, resolve issues, and drive continuous improvement.
- Serve as a liaison between the call center, nursing triage team, and clinics, promoting effective communication and collaboration across departments.
- Consult with other program managers on relevant program issues; develop alternative strategies for dealing with community health needs and assist in the implementation of solutions as necessary.
Quality Assurance and Compliance:
- Ensure adherence to applicable regulatory requirements, quality standards, and best practices in patient access and call center operations.
- Conduct regular audits, evaluate performance against established benchmarks, and implement corrective measures as necessary.
- Promote a culture of patient safety, confidentiality, and compliance with HIPAA and other relevant regulations.
- Develop, present, and advocate for clinic funding; administer and monitor the approved budget to ensure the accomplishment of clinic care objectives within budget restrictions.
Patient Access Strategy Development:
- Collaborate with all clinic managers and other key stakeholders to develop guidelines, OSW for patient access, appointment scheduling, and triage protocols pertinent to call center, nursing triage, and virtual clinic.
- Analyze current patient access workflows, identify areas for improvement, and implement strategic initiatives to enhance operational efficiency and patient experience.
- Ensure best practices related to patient access and appointment scheduling.
Data Analysis and Reporting:
- Monitor and evaluate patient access metrics, identify trends, and generate reports for key stakeholders.
- Provide insights and recommendations based on data analysis to drive continuous improvement in patient access operations.
- Stay updated with industry trends and advancements in patient access management and incorporate innovative solutions to optimize processes and outcomes.
The ideal candidate will have:
- Three years of supervisory experience.
- Two years of direct relevant experience can be substituted if candidate possesses a master’s degree.
- A Master's in Public Health, Health Administration or Business Administration is preferred.
- Knowledge of local, state, and federal health policy affecting care delivery operations.
- Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with co-workers and SMMC employees at all levels in routine, emergency, and emotional situations.
- Proficient with web-based information systems and Microsoft Office Suite, Teams, Word, Excel, Visio, and PowerPoint.
- Experience using Performance Improvement models (such as LEAN, Six Sigma, A3).
Qualifications
Knowledge of:
- Principles and practices of public administration, and program management, including planning, implementation and evaluation and reporting.
- Principles and methods of community health services, including current trends in education, research, treatment, prevention, rehabilitation, environmental health or related services.
- Laws, codes and regulations governing community health care and knowledge of County, state and federal legislative developments applicable to contemporary health issues.
- Organizational, personnel and fiscal management within a multi-faceted, community-based program setting.
- Community resources and public/private services and funding sources.
Skill/Ability to:
- Identify and analyze complex community health issues and problems.
- Plan, organize, and coordinate programs and services on a comprehensive, county-wide level to meet community needs.
- Integrate a variety of activities and services to achieve program goals, objectives, and priorities.
- Apply principles and techniques of community organization.
- Speak effectively to diverse audiences, including clinical, professional, civic and citizen groups.
- Maintain cooperative working relationships with other program managers and staff, other agencies and the community; enlist and mobilize community support for programs.
- Prepare complex and detailed written reports, program policies, procedures and contracts.
- Train staff and coordinate activities of contractors, volunteer groups and staff.
Education and Experience:
Any combination of education and experience that would likely provide the required knowledge, skills and abilities is qualifying. A typical way to qualify is:
- Education: Bachelor's degree in public health, nursing, social work, public administration or a related discipline.
- Experience: Two years of administrative or managerial experience in a health, social or community services organization, including significant responsibility for one or more of the following: program and budget development, funding, utilization, coordination of community resources or program evaluation.
Licensure/Certification:
Depending on assignment, some positions may require specific technical licensure.
Application/Examination
Open and Promotional. Anyone may apply. Current County of San Mateo and County of San Mateo Superior Court of California employees with at least six months (1040 hours) of continuous service in a classified regular, probationary, extra-help/limited term positions prior to the final filing date will receive five points added to their final passing score
The examination process will consist of an application screening (weight: pass/fail) based on the candidates' application and responses to the supplemental questions. Candidates who pass the application screening will be invited to a panel interview (weight: 100%). Depending on the number of applicants, an application appraisal of education and experience may be used in place of other examinations or further evaluation of work experience may be conducted to group applicants by level of qualification. All applicants who meet the minimum qualifications are not guaranteed advancement through any subsequent phase of the examination. All examinations will be given in San Mateo County, California and applicants must participate at their own expense.
IMPORTANT: Applications for this position will only be accepted online. If you are currently on the County's website, you may click the “Apply” button.If you are not on the County's website, please go to https://jobs.smcgov.org/ to apply. Responses to the Supplemental Questionnaire must be submitted in addition to the standard County employment application form. A resume will not be accepted as a substitute for the required application materials. Online applications must be received by the Human Resources Department before midnight on the final filing date.
TENTATIVE RECRUITMENT SCHEDULE
Deadline to Apply: Monday, August 3, 2026, at 11:59PM PST
Screening: August 4-11, 2026
Civil Service Panel/Departmental Interviews: Week of August 24, 2026
About the County
San Mateo County is centrally located between San Francisco, San Jose, and the East Bay. With over 750,000 residents, San Mateo is one of the largest and most diverse counties in California and serves a multitude of culturally, ethnically, and linguistically diverse communities.
The County of San Mateo, as an employer, is committed to advancing equity to ensure that all employees are welcomed in a safe and inclusive environment. The County seeks to hire, support, and retain employees who reflect our diverse community. We encourage applicants with diverse backgrounds and lived experiences to apply. Eighty percent of employees surveyed stated that they would recommend the County as a great place to work.
The County of San Mateo is an equal opportunity employer committed to fostering diversity, equity, and inclusion at all levels.
Analyst – Debbie Kong (07072026) - (Health Services Manager II – D033)
Work Location: In person
